Monthly Archives: January 2019

Mountain caribou have, sadly, been in the news this month, as it was announced that the last of the females from the Purcell and South Selkirk herds had been transferred to maternity pens in Revelstoke, leaving only three lone males in the mountains near Kimberley. This, says Wildsight, means the herds are functionally gone. …The females will augment the struggling but healthier Revelstoke population, while three males are remaining in the Purcells and no caribou in the South Selkirks. …The mountain caribou, one of North America’s oldest mammals, which are listed under the federal Species at Risk Act, rely on old-growth forests in the mountains of British Columbia. Their temperate rainforest habitat, after decades of logging, mining and intensive recreation, is badly fragmented.

Jim Snetsinger

BURNS LAKE, BC — The new limit on harvestable timber in the region should be known by mid-fall. …Speaking to a Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako board of directors meeting, registered professional forester Jim Snetsinger gave a detailed presentation on the process of formulating the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC). Snetsinger, the former chief forester for British Columbia, said a public discussion paper on the AAC will be released in late February, after which there’s a 60-day period for public comment. …Provincial legislation calls for a new AAC to be set every 10 years. “In many of the management units around the province, particularly those areas affected by the mountain pine beetle this is happening… mostly at a five-year cycle,” Snetsinger said. …Early on in the talk, he addressed the concern of government interference with AAC determinations. “I never experienced a situation where elected politicians tried to influence my decisions,” he said. 

Edmonton – The Alberta Forest Products Association is proud to announce the launch of its #WomenInForestry social media campaign. The campaign will profile five dedicated women, who have chosen diverse careers in the forest industry. Join us as we meet a forestry student, a CEO, a mill manager, a power engineer, and a reliability engineer. “We are honoured to celebrate the contributions of women to Alberta’s forest industry,” said AFPA President and CEO Paul Whittaker. “Over the past decade, the number of women choosing forestry careers has increased substantially. This means that not only is our workforce stronger today, but the workforce of tomorrow will also be stronger. Today’s women leaders serve as role models for the leaders of tomorrow.” The campaign will feature five video profiles. …Videos and other content can be found on the AFPA’s Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as the Association’s website.

Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) is trying to put pressure on BC Timber Sales (BCTS) to further delay auctioning the cutblock A87126 in the Dakota Valley on Mount Elphinstone. …the block was slated for logging in 2020. However, ELF said it believes the cutblock could be posted for auction as early as this April. …ELF said the area deserves protection because it’s home to bear denning areas and red and yellow cedars that the group claims could be among the oldest living trees in Canada. …ELF said it wants to see the area set it aside as an Old Growth Management Area, as it meets the monumental trees classification.

…While the forests of BC have evolved and adapted to experience wildfires as a natural agent of disturbance, it is a shock to established systems. In the wake of [recent] fires, here’s a brief look at how West Fraser is part of renewing the forest landscape. The volume of the forest burnt in the past two summers creates significant challenges for our woods teams who plan our timber harvesting. Where we operate in Canada, nearly all of the forests are owned by the public, and approvals for harvesting must be sought through the government. Our plans begin months and years ahead of time, surveying the land, consulting with stakeholders, developing plans, and applying for the required permits to build roads and approvals to harvest trees. When wildfires occur, our woods teams must re-plan their multi-year harvesting plans, knowing a large amount of the logs they had counted on have been consumed in the fires. 

B.C.’s trapping industry is facing multiple threats, including falling prices for fur and the general decline of their target species. An increase in devastating forest fires, over-harvesting of timber and aerial spraying of herbicides over newly planted forests are combining to shrink viable forest habitat for fur-bearing creatures, trappers say. Once Canada’s economic engine, the market for fur in Europe and North America has largely succumbed to the grisly messaging of animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Fur remains popular with increasingly affluent buyers from Russia and in China – the fur industry there is worth $22 billion – but the vagaries of fashion and waning economic growth in those nations have depressed prices for pelts for the past several years.

Residents voiced concerns at a special council meeting today (Jan. 28) over logging operations ongoing beside Bridge Creek and Centennial Park. It was largely standing room only, as more than 50 people were in attendance. The lot in question was purchased by the District of 100 Mile House. The logging is being conducted in order to create a fireguard. A presentation by Ian Kidston, after reviewing some of the details of the situation, made requests for two portions of the lot in question to be approached differently. The first was a portion of trees closest to Bridge Creek and Centennial Park. The second was adjacent to the old ski hill and a portion of the old ski hill itself. “We just had some concerned residents primarily over some of the visual quality objectives and also with some of the recreational possibilities that existed within that parcel”